What is the meaning of Daniel 11:14?

Oct. 22, 2007

Question: Do you believe the modern State of Israel will fall? In Daniel 11:14 it states, " . . . and also the children of the violent among thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision, but they shall fall." Encrypted here at a skip of 262 is, "Ve-ha-Tsee'oneem," "and the Zionites." Would Zionites be the children of the Zionists? Does this mean the holocaust is not over, that we are to lose another third of Jewry as Zechariah ha-Navee prophesied--that we would lose 2/3 and 1/3 be brought through the fire? I ask myself these questions. Dean Mansfield (Yitzhok ben Avraham)

Dear Mr. Mansfield,

Yes, we believe the state will not last, because a rebellion against G-d can never have permanent success. But it could fall in several ways, and we hope it will not be the way you wrote. The state could become a democratic binational state with a Jewish minority, if many Jews leave and Palestinian refugees are allowed back. This could happen all at once, or slowly as the state grows increasingly divorced from Judaism. Or it could fall by war, but not in a catastrophic way, just a takeover. Many Jews would be expelled, but they would not be killed. Or, best of all, it could fall by the Jews own hands, when they realize that it was a mistake and a sin.

The exact translation of the verse in Daniel is "they will stumble". To me that signifies not a catastrophic event but a failure. The state has already been revealed as a failure in its mission to protect Jews; it has only made the world more dangerous for Jews. Only the religious Zionists and right-wingers are unwilling to admit this. They have to be taught the truth, and we hope that they will eventually accept it.